Contact tracers play an important role in stopping the spread of COVID-19. They help local health departments monitor the spread of COVID-19 by tracking down people who may have come into contact with the coronavirus without being aware of it. Yet, contract tracer scams are also on the rise. You can avoid COVID-19 contract tracing scams by learning what legitimate contact tracers will and will not do.
Legitimate contact tracers will:
- ✔️Be state or local Department of Health employees or their contractors,
- ✔️Ask about your personal symptoms to gage for possible COVID-19 infection,
- ✔️Ask about others you may have come into contact with recently,
- ✔️Be able to refer you to other medical and social resources, and
- ✔️Ask if you have insurance or not to connect those who are not insured with resources.
Be cautious of anyone who:
- ⚠️Asks for specifics about your health insurance, like your Medicare number,
- ⚠️Claims they need a credit card or cash to pay for a COVID-19 test, or
- ⚠️Wants your personal information or Social Security number to help you set up a COVID-19 test.
If anyone asks you for your personal information and claims to be a contact tracer, hang up or do not respond. This is a scam.
If you come across such scams, report them to our California Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) at 1-855-613-7080.
You can also download our contact tracing fraud alert in English and Spanish. And see our other fraud alerts here.
